Tom Thompson saw his last Olds College graduation this past weekend after 16 years as president of the institution.
Now, as he officially retires and new Olds College president and CEO Stuart Cullum gets ready to assume the post on July 1, Thompson has no regrets. He sat down recently with the Albertan to review his career at the college.
Thompson came to Olds College (OC) after a lengthy teaching career that began in Saskatchewan in the mid-1960s as a teacher and later, a principal.
Later, at a college in Grande Prairie, Thompson rose from a business administration instructor to president.
In 2001, he became president of Olds College.
He says he was attracted by the way Olds College was being run and the opportunities he saw to position it for the future. It was also a good time for a move. He and his second wife, Joyce, had just seen the last of their five children move out of the nest, so it was time for a change.
ìI think that it was clear that there was a culture here that was agrarian-based and it was ëwork with your hands' and it was high on project management,î Thompson says.
ìThere was a readiness here to deal with projects which was unique to this setting. I thought it was a place that would punch above its weight class, which is important.
ìAnd I thought it was a place that knew who it was. There was no fuzziness here. They actually knew who they were.
ìIt was about seizing the opportunity to take a leadership position in agriculture and agri-food, in horticulture and land and environmental management in this province. Because there was a gap there. Nobody was filling it.
ìIf all the stars aligned, you could actually step in and fill that gap. And that was an opportunity to demonstrate a new way of thinking about learning.î
That opportunity came about when a partnership was formed with Olds College, Chinook's Edge School Division, Mountain View County, the Town of Olds and the University of Alberta to create the Community Learning Campus (CLC).
It combines Olds High School, a gym, and community offices into one cooperative, central facility.
Thompson says another achievement that occurred during his time at the college was the year-long celebration of OC's 100th anniversary in 2013.
Thompson says that was a big undertaking. Planning for it began in 2009, again combining forces from Olds College students and staff, the community as well as businesses and corporations.
ìIt was a proud time, but it was three years in the making,î Thompson says. ìAnd at the end of it, you actually walked away with over a million dollars in legacy funds on a centennial.î
Other highlights for Thompson include creation of Centennial Village, a $28.8-million student residence created and operated by College Olds Housing Co. in partnership with Shunda Consulting and Construction Management. It opened in 2015.
In late March it was announced that the college would be receiving a $16-million gift from David P. Werklund and his partner, Susan Norman.
It's the largest-ever personal donation to an Alberta college or technical institution. Werklund and Norman will also match donations by others, which could turn that gift into a total of $32 million.
The gift will also result in the creation of Werklund Agriculture Institute (WAI), which will specialize in smart agriculture.
Thompson agrees that's another highlight.
But he says all these things are linked, and made possible by the college's culture of creative thinking.
He says creation of the CLC sparked national interest. That in turn spurred the Pomeroy Group to approach the college to create the Pomeroy Inn & Suites, which provides learning opportunities for students.
Then, Niagara College approached OC about partnering to create a brewery on campus, which is also a learning opportunity for students.
Earlier, Henry Hoover approached the college and offered to help create botanical gardens on campus. That in turn led to the creation of the beautiful Olds College wetlands.
ìThere's nothing that works in isolation. Everything kind of had to mesh with one another,î Thompson says. ìI suppose the legacy is being able to appreciate it and be thankful for it and having the ability to see what you can do with it.î
Overall, Thompson says he has no regrets. There's nothing he didn't get done that he would have liked to have accomplished.
ìI don't want to sound funny or smug about that, but you do what you can to do your job exceptionally well ñ as much as possible ñ and you don't have to worry about stuff like that,î he says.
ìSo we've tried to do that. We've given it everything we've had ñ heart and soul ñ and now it's time for somebody else.î
"We've given it everything we've had ñ heart and soul ñ and now it's time for somebody else."TOM THOMPSON
